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Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Art Contest – Teen Winners, Midwinter 2015

The teen division of this year's Midwinter Art Contest features some very creative work by talented young artists. It was quite difficult for the judges to rank them!

A big "thank you" goes out to my fellow judges Simon Coleby (comics artist for 2000 AD, Judge Dredd Megazine, Lobo, Punisher and much more) and Dr. Kendra Willson (researcher at the Turku Institute for Advanced Studies at the University of Turku in Finland) for all the time they spent considering the entries and for their thoughtful comments on all the works. There were a lot of entries in this division, and it took quite a while for each of us to rank them.

Congratulations to all four winners! The assignment was to create a piece that somehow related to the character and legends of Frau Holle. If you're unfamiliar with this figure of folklore, click here to read more about her in the original announcement of the contest.

These talented artists each created wonderfully imaginative works of art inspired by Frau Holle. I look forward to seeing more work from each of them in the future!

FIRST PLACE
Heather Mathis
Age 16
Woodstock, Georgia, USA

Heather writes, "Frau Holle is depicted in many different ways, most of which have something to do with the cold time of year and snow. I wanted to express this, as well as the duality of how she's usually shown as either a beautiful young woman or more of a haggard old one."

I love everything about this piece – the design, the technique, the colors, the spirit. Wonderful!

Simon says, "This is a wonderful image, and amazingly accomplished for such a young artist! I love the subtleties of the coloring in Frau Holle's cloak, and also the inclusion of foliage amidst the swirls of tone. I also like the contrast between the slightly warmer tones on one side of the picture and the cold hues on the other. The gesture of the hands is also very well done. This could easily be offered as a card or poster for sale. It's an excellent piece of work."

Kendra comments, "I like the rich textures and subtle colors, the skirt and the hands
filled with snow. The face has a mischievous, pixie-like quality."

First Place: Heather Mathis

SECOND PLACE
Marquellius Nunn
Age 19
Elyria, Ohio, USA

Marquellius says, "Frau Holle is bringing the midwinter snow over the lands, while her raven searches for the lost souls of children in need of caring."

This has very striking design and comes across as quite powerful.

Simon comments, "The bold contrast of colors in this makes it a strong piece of work. I like the enigmatic expression of Frau Holle's face, and also the way the gray hair sweeps over her shoulder. That's a nice compositional touch, and it works very well."

Kendra writes, "I like the different shades of blue and purple in the mountains and sky and the way the figure's sleeve becomes part of the line of the mountains. The figure is intriguing with her wise and secretive expression."

Second Place: Marquellius Nunn

THIRD PLACE (TIE)
Stefano J.
Age 15
Florida, USA

Stefano writes, "When she made her bed in the sky, she would shake out her comforter, and the downy feathers would fall to the earth as snow."

I really like the energy and wildness of this piece. Stefano has created a very special image of this folklore figure.

Simon says, "Being an artist who uses traditional media, I always like to see this kind of straightforward approach to an image. It's a nicely composed and rendered drawing. I like the way the details lead the eye around the outside of the picture, while Frau Holle is framed in the center of the piece. A very good drawing, indeed."

Kendra writes, "I like the different textures of the feathers and leaves and the energy in the figure's hand and face."

Third Place (Tie): Stefano J.

THIRD PLACE (TIE)
Kaytie Corbett
Age 16
Oberlin, Ohio, USA

Kaytie writes, "I chose to illustrate the legend where Frau Holle is said to 'haunt the lakes.' I put the color scheme in the blues mostly to incorporate the mix of snow and such due to show cold – also to show the midwinter night and darkness. I incorporated Thor in the top; his symbol is on his sleeve. This is because I like the mood of that piece in this, it is a rather dark feeling legend. It's said that Thor was the protector of the kinds of forces that roamed free on the earth during the frightening time between the rebirth of the sun and the resurrection on January 12th. So seeing as Frau Holle haunts the lakes, he is there in the sky being the protector, rather right along with her.
"

I really like the way that Kaytie thought about the myths and folklore and found a creative way to combine them. Great work!

Simon says, "This is a quiet and intriguing image. I like the simplicity of the composition, and the small details which enhance the piece. The gesture of the figure is very nicely done. The emphasis on the hands of both Frau Holle and Thor pulls the picture together well and makes the image work as a whole."

Kendra comments, "I really like the deep blues with the strong jagged white horizontal line, the dark hand barely contrasting, the brown tree fading into black. The figure appears to be bathing in sky. I like the idea of bringing together Frau Holle and Thor."

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Dr. Karl E. H. Seigfried writes The Norse Mythology Blog. A Norse mythologist and musician in Chicago, he is Theology and Religious History Faculty at Cherry Hill Seminary and Adjunct Professor, Pagan Chaplain, and Pagan Forum Faculty Advisor at Illinois Institute of Technology. He is also a featured columnist for The Wild Hunt and serves as goði (priest) of Thor's Oak Kindred, an inclusive organization dedicated to the practice of the Ásatrú religion in Chicago.